Dacon_R

Is traveling from Rome by train to Chiusi to rent a car on a Saturday risky?

I know Chisui Hertz closes at 1pm, so we'd aim for the 8:58-10:40am train, rather than risk the 10:30am-12:30pm train.

But, if traveling on a Saturday from Rome to Chiusi has too much risk in terms of train reliability (or any factor I'm not thinking of!), then I can flip the starting location of this trip. The current itinerary has us leaving Rome on a Saturday, and allows us to take advantage of a reasonable non-stop Alitalia flight I have found.

I'm sure someone will suggest just getting the car at the Rome airport, but with drivers who have never driven in Italy before, I thought Chiusi would be less stressful (plus avoiding the logistics of getting 6 people to the Rome Airport car rental)

Thoughts?

greg

You have time and availability risks. 6 people requires a big car, probably a van. You can reduce the availability risks if you drive a manual transmission. If driving in Italy may be stressful, driving a van on narrow roads will be even more stressful.

kybourbon

What are your destinations in Tuscany? There might be other car pick up options.

bobthenavigator

Your bigger risk is getting a van big enough for 6 at Chiusi.

Dacon_R

As for other options where we could pick-up the car: We are going to the Chianti region (haven't picked a specific place to stay yet since the trip is in May 2016)

These are the Tuscany train options I've found-- any others
- Orvieto: AutoEurope doesn't have the Orvieto option any more, and reviews of that Hertz office aren't positive. So I'm taking that off the list.
- Siena also closes at 1pm on Saturdays
- Florence- open to 11:30PM, so this could be an option. I hadn't thought of that before. Seemed strange to fo past Chianti... There is the extra logistics of Getting us all on the bus from train area to airport, which I don't think we'd have to do in Chiusi

- AutoEurope said they can get a van to anywhere...should I not believe that? Otherwise, I'm guessing the airports are more likely to have van options.

I'm not worried about narrow roads, being from Boston and surviving the past winter where roads width was ridiculous. I've driven Tuscany roads before and didn't find them narrow at all. This time I thought I'd let others drive too...for the fun of it!

greg

Do others drive a manual transmission car?

Dacon_R

Yes, we all can drive manual transmission car

Jean

On a Saturday in May, consider picking up the car in Rome. With GPS and city driving experience, you should have no trouble.

I was once a back-seat passenger in a rental picked up at the Rome Hilton Cavalieri (Hertz, I think). It was an easy drive to the A1. Others here have reported no problems using other Rome locations on weekends.

sandralist

Your biggest problem is not knowing if your plane might be delayed landing. And I would not really count on AutoEurope having that van waiting for you at a small town location on a Saturday if you are traveling in a busy season.

If you are landing in FCO and going to the Chianti, consider taking the direct fast train from FCO airport to Florence. It's easier and more comfortable than going to Rome and switching for a train to Chianti, and just about the same amount of time. I would probably do the extra step of booking the car at the airport pick-up location, because they are open continuously so plane delays don't matter and you have the best chance of being guaranteed a large enough car for your group.

If that plan doesn't appeal, I see no reason to schlep into Rome to pick up a car there, plus I believe those offices have closing hours on Saturday, so if your flight lands late, you have large problem to solve. Just pick one up at FCO whenever you land. This is by far the cheapest option with 6 people, but you must be realistic about who is going to take responsibility for driving jet lagged.

But personally, I would rather doze on the train from FCO for 2 hours, get a couple of shots of espresso in the Florence train station, and then take a taxi out to the airport to do all the paperwork of getting several people authorized to drive the same car. From the airport in Florence it's less than an hour to the Chianti, depending on where you are staying.

sandralist

Sorry for my typo: I meant to write:

If you are landing in FCO and going to the Chianti, consider taking the direct fast train from FCO airport to Florence. It's easier and more comfortable than going to Rome and switching for a train to Chiusi.

By the way, if you haven't bought your air tickets yet, see if you can get ticketed through to Florence or Pisa airport. If you are ticketed through on one ticket and your flight to Rome is delayed, they will put you on the next flight to Tuscany, and you'll have a closer starting point to reach the Chianti, plus an airport pickup which is a better bet for securing a large car.

greg

My friends who rent cars in the U.S. using one of those grab-and-go express U.S. airport type of setup can't imagine how renting car can be a hassle outside the U.S. and dismiss any need for a fall back plan because it has never happened to them (in the U.S.)

Here is a tale of how badly it can get (the Aug 26,2015 postings)
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-la-spezia.cfm

StuDudley

We took the train from Bologna to Chiusi in early April 2013. The train was packed & was 1+ hrs late. It was Saturday of Easter weekend and people were heading to Rome to listen to the new Pope's first address. When we got off the train, we raced to a cab & told the driver to get us to the Europcar (may have been Hertz) office ASAP. We got there at 1:15. The clerk said that he knew how many people were picking up cars that day, and when they "should" arrive. I'm guessing that he was also familiar with the train "situations". We were worried because the office was closed on Sunday, and Monday too because of Easter.

Stu Dudley

docdan

I detect a few faulty planning notes: <Seemed strange to fo past Chianti>
NO, getting into the Chianti region from Florence is easier than it will be from Chiusi, and your rental options will be greater in the big city.
<There is the extra logistics of Getting us all on the bus from train area to airport, which I don't think we'd have to do in Chiusi>
What? Look again. There are a host of rental agencies in Florence within walking distance of the Stazione di Santa Maria Novella.
<plus avoiding the logistics of getting 6 people to the Rome Airport car rental>
As compared to What? Everything at FCO is difficult . . planes, trains, cars, everything . . . Getting 6 to the rental agency may actually be easier than getting six to the train. and the drive from FCO north to Tuscany is actually quite pleasant, and will be the least demanding of your driving challenges, if one of the adults has a good map and is a good navigator. Driving IN the Chianti region, once off the main highways, is where non-Italians find challenges, but just take your time and be cautious, and anyone used to Boston traffic should have no problem.

I'll defer to others who may have experience in this situation, but I'd agree your best option is Renting right at FCO.

Finally, do consider a day trip through the Val D'Orcia region, which is Southern Tuscany. Different from Chianti, and even more insanely gorgeous - a very pleasant drive. Wine tours in/around Montepulciano and Montalcino . . . .OMG . . . four years later and just typing these words make my parotid glands twitch.

kybourbon

>>>I see no reason to schlep into Rome to pick up a car there, plus I believe those offices have closing hours on Saturday,<<<

Not an issue for quite a few locations in Rome, but you would need to pick locations open (and that rent vans). The OP might not need an afternoon open anyway if they are picking up in Rome (since they aren't have to take trains to Rome Termini and then Chiusi).

If you go to the Hertz website, select locations, enter Rome, Italy, select - Rome city locations, all of the locations in Rome appear and you can see on the list whether they are a corporate location or independent licensee. It also shows the hours open and whether vans are available at the location.

>>>consider taking the direct fast train from FCO airport to Florence.<<<

There's only a couple of these a day. The times might not work for you.

Dacon_R

Hmm, one of my Replies has vanished - but that gave me time to absorb the new comments.

I'm leaning towards getting the car in Florence now, mostly to avoid the longer drive from Rome. But if the other folks don't mind the longer drive from Rome, that could logistically be the easiest - as docdan noted.

And thanks for the suggestion of a Val D'Orcia day trip. Will add that to my research list....

Jean

Are you talking about renting/training/driving upon arrival at FCO or will you have been in Rome for a couple of days before you head north?

"I'm leaning towards getting the car in Florence now, mostly to avoid the longer drive from Rome."

To me, this seems overly schleppy (if that's a word), especially with 6 people. You'd take a taxi (maybe two) from your Rome hotel to Termini. Load you and your luggage onto the train and off the train in Florence. Then, the six of you and your luggage could walk to a car rental agency nearby, or the six + luggage would take a bus or taxi (again, maybe two) to the Florence Airport. When you finally have the van, it's another hour or so to wherever in Chianti. If you rent the car IN Florence, you need to avoid driving into the ZTL as you're leaving.

In contrast, you could take taxis from your Rome hotel to a local car rental office, load up the van and go. The fastest route to, say, Castellina in Chianti would take about 3.5 hours without stops. But you could also choose to take secondary roads most/all of the way, have a nice lunch in some small town along the way and see some beautiful scenery in southern Tuscany.

sandralist

If you are not flying into FCO the same day you are renting the car, and if you are already waking up in Rome that day, just get the car in Rome. If you are are arriving into Rome airport that morning on a flight, either take the train directly from the airport or another flight to Florence, or rent the car at the Rome airport if there is someone in your party confident of their driving skills despite jet lag if your flight was trans-oceanic.

StuDudley

>>And thanks for the suggestion of a Val D'Orcia day trip. Will add that to my research list....<<

Here is something I posted a few years ago about the Val d'Orcia.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...y-171368-2.cfm

Here is my wife's Shutterfly book for our trip
https://stududley.shutterfly.com/39

Click "Full screen"

Because of software problems that Shutterfly can't seem to solve, captions are often missing or truncated.

The Val d'Orcia section is after Verona and Bologna

Stu Dudley

zoecat

I suggest flying into Florence (connecting through either Amsterdam, Paris, Munich, Frankfurt or ?) and getting the car at the airport there. Not sure of your entire itinerary but maybe you can visit Rome after your time with the car in the countryside. Drop the car off in Chiusi (take a train into the city and then taxi to hotel) or Rome airport (and taxi into the city/hotel).

docdan

STuD's commentary could use a bit of summary, however, his observations are spot on in describing the wonderful drives in the Val D'Orcia area. I was particularly struck by the area between the "non-village" of Spedaletto and Monticchiello. You really must try to include this drive, if posible.